Travel News > December 2010 > Two sharks caught in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el Sheik

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Two sharks caught in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el Sheik

03/12/2010

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When four tourists in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el Sheik were injured by a white tip shark, water sports were put on hold and a hunt for the marine predator ensued. Three Russians and a Ukrainian were injured in the attacks, which happened on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Two of the tourists sustained severe injuries. An elderly woman lost her hand when he was attacked, while another suffered a severed leg. One of the injured tourists is in a critical condition at a hospital in Cairo.

Now not one, but two white tip sharks have been caught in the Red Sea resort. The smaller of the two is 7 feet long, weighing 330 pounds, while the larger is 8 feet long and weighs 550 pounds. The sharks were caught using liver as bait.

The animals have been taken away to be dissected to find out if both or either are responsible for the attacks, but there is some confusion as to whether or not the attacks were carried out by a white tip. As it is very unusual for a white tip to attack, could it have been a different type of shark that was responsible? There have only been nine recorded white tip shark attacks on humans.

Attacks by white tip sharks on humans are rare. Authorities in Sharm el Sheik have been speculating why the predators attacked the unsuspecting tourists. One theory is that the sharks were attracted to the area by a transport ship that had dumped dead sheep into the sea.

Meanwhile, environmentalists believe the white tip sharks could have been encouraged closer to the shoreline due to overfishing in their feeding grounds.

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